Martin Savidge of CNN, embedded with the 1st Marine battalion, was talking with 4 young Marines near his foxhole this morning live on CNN. He had been telling the story of how well the Marines had been looking out for and taking care of him since the war started. He went on to tell about the many hardships the Marines had endured since the war began and how they all look after one another. He turned to the four and said he had cleared it with their commanders and they could use his video phone to call home. The 19 year old Marine next to him asked Martin if he would allow his platoon sergeant to use his call to call his pregnant wife back home whom he had not been able to talk to in three months. A stunned Savidge who was visibly moved by the request shook his head and the young Marine ran off to get the sergeant. Savidge recovered after a few seconds and turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with him and asked which one of them would like to call home first, the Marine closest to him responded with out a moments hesitation  Sir, if is all the same to you we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours, Lance Cpl Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida who was killed on 3-23-03 near Nasiriya to see how they are doing. At that Martin Savidge totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was Where do they get young men like this?.

L.T. Smash is a reserve officer in the United States Military who has been recalled to active duty and deployed overseas in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. This website is an online journal of his adventures. It is meant primarily for the use of his family and friends, but all are welcome to visit.

"Where do we get such men? They leave this ship and they do their job. Then they must find this speck lost somewhere on the sea. When they find it, they have to land on its pitching deck. Where do we get such men?"

- Rear Admiral George Tarrant in James Michener's The Bridges at Toko-Ri

18
posted on 04/01/2003 9:20:28 PM PST
by Illbay
(Don't believe every tagline you read - including this one)

These young Marines and Soldiers of the Airborne & Armor Impress the heck outta me... I thought we were pretty tough in Vietnam..and we were...at least in the delta with the Mobile Riverines But these kids...they are the real thing...tough as nails..and real pros...very disciplined and even tempererd...frankly they amaze me Would be very proud to have a kid like these.. God Bless them all

To answer the question - where do they get young men like this? They are right in front of us and we see them every day. They are the young men and women in high school that are looking for direction, looking for a challenge, and the right thing to do, but instead our media shows them how to be selfish and unpatriotic. They are the police we see every day that risks their lives for us. They are the firefighters that ran up into death to help people during 9/11. They are called ignorant rednecks whom barely graduated from high school, and yet they maintain the planes, ships, vehicles, and tanks that enable us to move decisively and win our objectives. They are mocked as the ugly Americans, yet always answer the global 911 call whenever another nation in the world is threatened. They are the same men and women that get paid 15 to 20 grand a year, that work 18-20 hour days, that are stationed in forgotten hell-holes of the world, and yet are the most energetic and positive people you want to meet. They are the same people that our educational and media elites sneer at with disdain and yet because of them and what they have done throughout our history, we enjoy a freedom that has never been known in the history of this world. From the boot camper whose job is to maintain military records and also clean out the head to the young Marine becoming old too fast as he fights against madmen in the Middle East hiding behind women and children, these young men and women are patriots and heroes. As long as there is an United States of America, there will always be young men and women like this. I am proud to have served with them and I am proud of them now. I have more respect for them and what they do, then for those who safely sneer at them and bad-mouth this country. May God bless all of them and may He watch and protect them all.

"...They are, quite simply, Marines. And they reflect the goodness, the richness, this magnificent band of brothers, they are the face of America. I am so proud of and so very grateful for these sons and daughters.

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